Behavioral Insights for Government (BIG) lecture series

The Behavioral Insights for Government (BIG) lecture series brings to policymakers the practical lessons from behavioral economics and public administration.

Behavioral economics, which applies insights from psychology to better understand the roots of human behavior, is starting to influence the practice of public management. Approximately 25 people from state and local government participated in each lecture during the pilot series.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Asmus Leth Olsen will present results from his research on how citizens interpret numerical performance data in the public sector. He will stress the importance of symbolic numbers, attention to negative results, the subtle effects of framing, and the importance of benchmarks and comparisons offered to citizens.

Olsen's research provides insights into how managers and policymakers can anticipate citizens' responses to various forms of performance metrics. It also provides managers and policymakers with some tools to reassess their response to performance metrics.

His findings give some cause for skepticism about the ability of numbers to shape citizens' perceptions of public service. However, Olsen also will show evidence from randomized controlled trials that clearly indicate that citizens can learn from government performance data. Data can find a way, if we rely on the psychology of numbers.